[TVARC] New Years Resolution for FT8'ers: Upgrade to WSJT-X v2 BY JAN. 1, 2019

[Anthony Hackenberg]

Hi Members of TVARC Maillist (especially those interested in the FT8
digital mode),

If you have not done so already, then here's your amateur radio New Year's
*resolution* for 2019:

Upgrade your WSJT-X software to Version 2.x BY JANUARY 1, 2019!

Here's the mandate to upgrade taken directly from the "horse's mouth"
(WSJT-X's home page):

*The current General Availability (GA) release is WSJT-X 2.0.0*

The FT8 and MSK144 protocols have been enhanced in a way that is not
backward compatible with older program versions.  The new protocols become
the world-wide standards starting on December 10, 2018, and all users
should upgrade to *WSJT-X 2.0* by January 1, 2019.  After that date, only
the new FT8 and MSK144 should be used on the air.


For more information, consult these resources:

WSJT-X's Home Page:

https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html

Wikipedia article about Dr. Joe Taylor:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hooton_Taylor_Jr.


As 2018 begins to fade and I reflect back on amateur radio, I am struck by
how fortunate we are that Dr. Joe Taylor (call sign  K1JT) leveraged his
work in detecting very weak signals in radio astronomy to developing the
digital mode that swept through the amateur radio ranks like SSB did years
ago.   Moreover, considering that our uncooperative Sun has made HF
propagation so dismal over the past year, it's amazing to me that Joe
Taylor's WSJT-X (especially it's FT8 mode), came along at just the right
moment to allow many of us hams to continue enjoying our hobby by working
DX stations via this miracle mode.

So, in a few days, when you are raising your "juice" glasses to toast in
the New Year, say a little thank-you to Dr. Taylor, an American
astrophysicist and Nobel Prize winner in Physics (1993), for his wonderful
gift to the amateur radio world.

Happy New Year 2019,

Tony/K4QR
TVARC Member
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